We made cookies last night, and they were good

I guess I've been neglecting my responsibility to continue my quota of doing fun and interesting things so I have something to blog about. For that I must apologize, not only to all of you who put your faith into me for maintaining my life of awesomeness, but also to myself, because frankly I am missing the awesomeness myself. I hate to blame something as boring as the weather, but the fact is it is cold outside and I can't muster the energy to walk the two miles to the National Museum of Art, even though it seems a perfectly lovely place to spend an afternoon while David is at work. Frankly I should be going to the gym, and that is only about four blocks away, but again, all that winter bluster makes me perfectly content to wrap up in my favorite blanket and snuggle into the couch while I watch "Big Fish" on TV. (Which, by the way, is a totally awesome movie, one that I did not fully appreciate the first time I saw it, but even with commercials it brought actual tears today.)

We've actually been spending the last few weeks talking mostly about babies, running through various scenarios of how we might make it work. Obviously the answer isn't easy or obvious. I hope we haven't waited too long to start the process. I don't think of myself as old, until you start adding on 18 years to your age of total responsibility for another life. We've been feeling some self-imposed pressure to quickly make a decision so we can get moving, when the reality is it isn't quite that simple. We found a local agency that holds seminars on the whole adoption process for people considering the option, and so are just waiting for them to announce their 2008 calendar. The internet provides a great deal of information, but we need some context in the form of a real live expert to help talk us through it.

In fluffier news, we are also planning our trip down to see my brother at Disney World at the end of March. We are both big theme park fans, but will have a week to play, so we're also looking around for other fun things to do in Florida. Maybe drive down and see the Everglades, or David found this place where you cans swim with manatees, and there is always the Space Center. Something fun like that. Feel free to forward on any ideas or recommendations if you've got 'em. We briefly considered a three day criuse to the Bahamas, but the thought of being on a ship with hordes of drunk twenty year olds on their spring break somehow doesn't seem all that fun.

On Saturday the hospital is holding their annual New Grad Day, where people come in to take a look at the hospital, interview with managers and decide if they want to work here. I can't believe it was a year ago that I came, last year flew by so quickly! They've asked me to go to lunch with a group of them, and of course I said yes. I would be such a good recruiter. What I have to remember is that I need to figure out which are the ones I actually want to work with before I reveal how awesome a place it is to work. ;)

In TV news, while I fully support the principle behind the writers strike, I am quite miserable over the loss of "Pushing Daisies" on Wednesday nights. Fortunately I still have Project Runway and now Idol to keep me entertained. These early weeks of Idol are by far my least favorite, I somehow am immune to the appeal of people desperate to humiliate themselves just to get on TV. But then there are the ones who are sincere and charming, and though probably won't have the talent to really get through the Hollywood week, at least I got to enjoy their presence for a few minutes anyway. There are great people around, even in Omaha.

I just read an article that says to have a million bucks by retirement, at 25 you have to start saving $300 a month. If you wait until you are 35, you have to save $700 a month. It is all about having time for that interest to compound. I'm not saving quite that much, but if I retire to Thailand or Costa Rica I think it will be a lot cheaper anyway. I mean, right? I just have to stay healthy enough to make that work. Note to my siblings though - open up that Roth IRA and start saving now!

Finally, how about McCain winning Florida? I really didn't see that coming. He makes me more nervous of course, because of all the Republicans I think he has the best shot of actually winning, and I disagree with much of his platform. But in the long run I still think it is the best choice for our country, a clear repudiation of the worst of the Bush administration. Just having a president I can trust not to torture people is a win in my book. How amazingly depressing is it that I have to say that, that it isn't just a given? How quickly the mighty can fall when our leaders exploit fear in exchange for power.

And I'm still rooting for Obama. Until last week I would've been ok with Clinton, and, well, I'd still support her/them over any of the "I'll double Gitmo" crowd. But I can't root for anyone who says that hope is just a fairytale. Life is only that cynical if you make it that way. Plus, think of what a great Senator she could be for NY if she weren't busy playing to the lowest and most generic common denominator by running for President?